La Familia
by Jenstc2003
Summary: Danny helps keep his 5-0 family together using the results of one time connections to another kind of family.


*Danny- immediately after the fire that burned the $10 mil.*

"Why does he do such STUPID things?" The thought won't leave me alone as Chin and I wait for Steve and Kono to come back, imagining the hundreds of ways this could get worse from here. The money's gone- how the HELL can the money be gone? Sure, we had no choice but to do what we did- not if we wanted to save Chin, anyway- but it was STILL stupid. At least Chin's safe. But- stealing MILLIONS- from the police? Not exactly a good long term career move, Steven. And now… now we're ALL in it up to our ears. I can't help thinking, though- maybe there's a way to stop it from going any further.

*Three years ago- in New Jersey*

"Are you sure?" The words come out of my mouth without a second thought as I stare into the eyes of the kindly face in front of me. "You seriously want me to help you with this transaction? You realize the repercussions, right? This fails, and we both end up on the hot seat. I lose my career- maybe my family. What's in it for me?" Don Paolo Placido- the man in front of me- was always my favorite uncle, even though we rarely saw him. My Mom's older brother, he leads the Aubruzzini family- one of the most powerful local Mafia groups. Somehow, that never bothered me too badly. He'd encouraged me to become a cop, and he always encouraged me to do the right things. At some level, I have always idolized him a bit, at least until tonight. We've never talked about any of it- some things, I just really don't need to know, and don't WANT to know. I always knew Mom was from a Mafia family, and I avoid that part of their life as much as I can. It's simple, really- I don't ask, and they don't speak about things around me that could get me in trouble. I know he's probably got a rap sheet several pages long- or at least should have- but I know him well, so I can say with all honesty that he's not as bad as a gangster should be. Because of that, I never completely lost my respect for him when I learned about his involvement in the Mafia. I'd never ask unseemly questions of him, but at the same time, I have always been careful to avoid any mention of his "business" interests. Until he offered me a deal I can't rationalize taking, anyway.

"Daniel, you have proven yourself to the family- honest and honorable, that's you. And I'm proud that you are the good man that you are. But think what you might be able to accomplish- you could set your family up in a lovely house on the ocean, if you wanted to. Rachel and Grace could have anything they want. You can't give them that as a policeman, no matter how hard you try. There are $15 million reasons to do it, and you wouldn't have to know more than is absolutely necessary. You could honestly say that you had no idea what happened. All you have to do is tell me when the police will be in a particular place when I ask. That's all. You won't know why and you won't have your hands dirtied beyond that. Trust me. I don't want my sister's son in trouble any more than you do. But for $15 million, I expect valid and good information. Think about it, OK?"

"Yes, Uncle Paolo- I want to do better by them. But at the same time, I KNOW you're asking this so you can do something. Probably a very large, very ILLEGAL something. What am I supposed to tell them when I suddenly come home with all the money we could ever want? I won't earn that much in my entire career. Rachel will know something is up. And I won't lie to her. You wouldn't want me to. And she'd flip if she knew. You know that as well as I do. "

"Daniel, I am not asking you to lie. I'm simply asking you to give me some innocent information. You have no further involvement. If a friend were to ask you when the next patrol was coming to their neighborhood, you would tell them, right?"

He is right. There's no getting around it. I would. "Yes, I would. But in this case, I know you don't want it for any innocent reason. A BIG difference- HUGE, Uncle Paolo."

"How do you know that, Daniel? Have I ever involved you in anything illegal? Haven't I always respected you more than that?" He looks at me, quietly assessing my response.

"Yes, you have until tonight. And you may want this for just innocent reasons…"

He smiles and nods at me. "There you go, Daniel. I wouldn't lie to you, and I wouldn't expect you to lie to anyone else. You just have to tell me one piece of information. That's all. Nothing more."

I can't resist his offer, and so I finally take the money and head home. But I can't feel right using it, and I know that. I stash it in a box in my closet, and never mention a word of it. A week later, I get the call. He wants to know the precise time the police patrol would be at the wharf, and I hold up my end of the deal. I tell him, and my fate is sealed.

*Present*

Over the ensuing couple of months, he asked me again and again to help him- never anything truly illegal, but I knew he was using it illegally. Finally, I had to turn him down. Needless to say, he was NOT happy. Less than three days later, gunfire erupted outside of my house. When Rachel asks me, I have to tell her the truth- because I am pretty sure those bullets were a warning. Less than three hours later, she and Gracie are gone, and all the best parts of my life with them. I kept the money, but never even looked at it. Instead, I worked hard and tried to not think about it. The divorce was hell, but it finally ended. When Rachel announced that she was getting married again- several months after we were officially kaput, I lost it. They were going to Hawaii, and I had no say in my daughter's life. So I took the money out, and I used some of it to follow them out to Hawaii. She never even asked me how I managed to do it. But most of the dirty money is still in my closet. Today, though- I think I've found the way to clean it.

Steve and Kono finally return to the office. The embarrassed, frightened look on his face scares the hell out of me. I've never seen him that upset. Of course, I never look him in the eye, because there's no chance that I'm letting him get out of this. "You need realize what you've done here- you could have gotten us ALL fired today."

"You know you would have done the same thing, Danno. You KNOW you would. So do NOT preach to me right now." And he's right- I would have done it. I like to think I'd have come up with something better but I know I'd have green lighted it if there wasn't.

After they leave the office, I go to the apartment and pull the money down, staring into the box quietly. I don't want to use the money- that's why I never mentioned it earlier to begin with- but it's the only way we can even hope to keep the team- the family- that we've formed here together. We can't lie to the Governor for long- she's bound to find out, and when that happens, we won't be able to control what happens. At least this way, I can do something about it. So I head to the Governor's office, unannounced, and surprise her by knocking on the door. When she opens, I am a bit surprised. Running my hand through my hair, I spit it out. "Governor- there is something you need to know about what happened today. Chin is safe- but we… had to make a bad choice. I don't know how you'll react to this, but I am going to give you back what is yours and we'll leave it at that." Without more, I give her the money, counting out all $10 million to her. Her jaw drops, and she shakes her head with surprise.

"You… you took the money. There was a report of a break in at the HPD locker. I wondered… but I never thought…" Her reaction is much calmer than I had ever imagined.

"Yes. We did it. We had no choice. You wouldn't help us, and we couldn't just let him be killed. You realize that he would have been… right? He would be dead because you wouldn't help us. We had to do it. And I think you knew we would. But the full amount of money we took is here. The actual bills we took were burned when Steve was making the transfer. Luckily, I had some- family money- that I had never used. The others have no idea about this, and I don't want to make an issue of it. I just want this over with."

She smiles and nods at me. "Yes. I am sure you do. But I can't just let this go. I know I promised him he could have a more or less free hand, but… stealing money is too much."

"Well, then maybe you should find a way to make sure that he knows that you found out. But the money is back now, so it's not stolen anymore. The world will not come to an end. Just take it back to the vault and be done with it."

"I will take that under advisement, Daniel. You are a good man, and I hope you realize that. I know Mc Garrett had to have been the one behind this, and I will see to it that he eventually finds out that I know and I do not approve of his methods. But I'll do it on my own time, and in my own way. For now, just keep this between us." I nod at her, then I say my goodbyes and head out. The money is left on her desk, though I have no idea what she has in mind. But at least it is done. Chin is safe, and the money is back. A happy ending, if there is such a thing. And no one needs to know.


End file.
